User Reviews

Some extremely fine acting a compelling and horrifying true story done right by the cast! One of the best mini series for a while on ITV!

It's really commendable for the creators of "Des" to chronicle the story of Dennis Nilsen's conviction without ever venturing in to territory which could've so easily become sensationalist or disrespectful to any of his victims - had other people been entrusted to helm the major undertaking for the broadcaster instead.

The show somehow manages to strike the perfect balance between depicting the irredeemable monstrosity of the title character - played expertly by indomitable talent, David Tennant - whilst simultaneously refraining from ever glorifying his role or his crimes, alternatively opting to explore his unconscionable vulgarities through the depiction of their lasting consequences; the resulting trauma, pain & grief endured by those who either survived or lost loved ones.

It's this admirable creative decision - conscientiously grounding the narrative in the perspectives of humanity (rather than indulging in the inhumanity) - which elevates the material & solidifies the season as one of the best ITV has released in recent memory - as disturbing & uncomfortable as it remains to watch.

David Tennant's portrayal of Dennis Nilsen is chilling. His resemblance to the serial killer is frighteningly uncanny. This is yet another masterclass in acting from Tennant who really can perform any role he is given at an extraordinarily high level.

I need to watch some 10th Doctor Who episodes now, to bring back image of David's smiling face into my head, and replace this deeply disturbing and blood chilling character from DES. David Tennant blew me away with his performance - he managed to be more creepy and disturbing than the actual Dennis Nielsen. It sucks out all the joy from this world, and leaves you speechless and broken. Wonderful performance!!!! The whole cast deserves standing ovation for this show. Well worth watching this one.

I've seen documentaries on this sicko in the past but nothing compares to a great dramatisation of a true story. And David Tennent's performance deserves all the awards. ITV is way ahead of the BBC in these dramas recently.

It's an old and massively overused cliché, but still very reliable: reality is far more astounding, far more unbelievable, and far more disturbing than any fictional story could ever be! Of course, this is most applicable to the film/TV adaptations of true-crime stories, like biographies or semi-documentaries revolving around serial killers.

I've read countless biographies and factual reports on real-life serial killers, but the case of Dennis "Des" Nilsen undoubtedly is the one of the most uncanny ones in the history of human darkness. It's nearly impossible to believe that this seemingly dull and miserable looking man actually was such a stoic, relentless monster and, even more unlikely, capable of misleading the authorities before and during the discovery of his atrocities. Between 1978 and 1983, Des - a nickname he mainly just uses himself - murdered between 8 and 15 young men and boys. More disturbingly even, he kept the corpses near him for longer periods, to talk to or watch TV with, before boiling the parts or hide them underneath the floors of his apartments.

Particularly the first half of this mini-series is brilliantly tense, grim and compelling. Nilsen, indifferent about the fact that he finally has been arrested, narrates his atrocious crimes as if he's reading out a groceries' list. In practically every review available on the Internet, David Tennant is extendedly endorsed for his portrayal of Nilsen, and it's more than justified. The resemblance is eerie, but his emotionless and stoic body language is even more impressive. The second half, mainly revolving about the interactions between Nilsen and his biographer, and the trial, is far less overwhelming, but nevertheless very competent television-making.

The Story is Dennis Nilsen, the infamous serial killer, who had a particular type of victim.

It's a well known story, brought to life vividly in this terrific drama, it's an uncomfortable watch at times, he truly was a monster.

David Tennant, I have no doubts at all that he will be winning a BAFTA for his portrayal here, he proves once again that he is an incredibly talented actor. He is incredible, but also has an uncanny resemblance to Nilsen.

There have been a few real life dramatisations, to think of White House Farm, and a few others, this is arguably the best of them. Mays and Watkins are great also.

Terrific,10/10.

One of the first things I learnt about screenwriting is 'Drama means conflict' and the lack of conflict in episode 1 made this show a little difficult to get involved with.

It is, however, an intriguing portrait of a very strange man, brilliantly played by David Tennant.

'Des' is worth persisting with even if you are a bit bored by episode 1 as it gets better and is well worth a watch, and rewards you with a twisted insight into the life of a serial killer.

Possibly the greatest role David has played to date. Utterly creepy whilst deadly smart. A gripping drama that will make you really question what mankind is capavle of at the worst of times.

It's 1983 Britain. Young homeless people had been flooding into London. DCI Peter Jay (Daniel Mays) investigates a blocked drain which leads to serial killer Dennis "Des" Nilsen (David Tennant). When asked about the human remains, he coolly claims to have killed 15 or 16 men. As the investigation goes on, writer Brian Masters (Jason Watkins) contacts Nilsen to be his biographer.

This is a true story and a 3-part miniseries. It's about murders but it's not a whodunnit. Des admits to the killings right from the beginning. It's still a compelling story. It helps to have a great Tennant performance. He's shockingly cold. The court case is not quite as compelling as it wants to be. The outcome is not that in doubt despite the movie trying very hard. The court case still has a couple of interesting witnesses and that's plenty compelling enough.

Des is without a doubt the best drama for some time, nobody can surely deny the excellence of Tennant, I'm surprised if he doesn't scoop awards for his sincere performance.

Those that are complaining about smoking, this was based on actual texts, people used to smoke a lot. Those complaining about tension, do you have the ability to distinguish between fiction and history? Stop with the complaining.

It's interesting to see the fascination people have with serial killers. Who's next?

"Des" is the chilling story of the case of Dennis Nilsen, a serial killer who somehow evaded capture for years while murdering at least 12, and maybe as many as 15 or 16, young men, chopping up their bodies and disposing of the remains in various gruesome ways.

As the eponymous Des, David Tennant does a great job, portraying the utterly cold blooded Nilsen and accurately conveying his almost unbelievably calm and sanguine approach after his arrest and during interrogation by the police. He comes across as a man wholly lacking in any moral sense of right and wrong, and completely obsessed with himself.

However, the accompanying cast and dramatisation is less compelling and also seems to fall a little short of the reality, which was even more shocking than shown. "The Real Des : The Dennis Nilsen Story", an accompanying documentary, includes film of Nilsen himself and interviews with police officers and others who were involved in the case. The revelations here give more background to Nilsen's life and character and are significantly worse than included in the 3-part drama. However, it has to be added that the actual footage of Nilsen is barely more frightening than is the performance of Tennant, a great tribute to the later.

Nilsen was a monstrous psychopath, totally devoid of any normal moral sense. David Tennant does his role justice and deserves top marks for it, but the rest of the production is simply lacking in depth or power. The police appear more confused, helpless and worried about budgets than anything else and the court scenes towards the end are far too truncated and even contrived. The meetings between Nilsen and his biographer are little more than opportunities for Tennant to demonstrate his ability to mimic the extreme psychopathy and egotism of his character.

Overall "Des" isn't bad but it's not brilliant either. 7 out of 10, mostly for Tennant without whom it may have struggled to be more than 5.

I really don't think this deserves its current IMDb rating of 8.1. No the story is not poorly told, the actings not terrible and the production isn't naff.

It's just bloody boring.

It would be better if it was about the murders rather than the investigation. I'm just waiting for it to finish at this stage.

Yeah you may adore David Tennant like most of these reviewers (I don't see what all the fuss is about myself) but he will not save you from the boredom.

Not exciting, not entertaining, barely engaging. Definitely not a thriller. This is a watershed drama about a moment in history.

4.5

Well written , Superb acting from all and Tenant is simply brilliant. We have little idea what "Des" is really like but you could imagine this was it ......creepy , very creepy!! It also looks very authentic and yes we all did smoke that much ..... the days of yellow fingers !!

This was such a well written and well developed script! Absolutely amazing acting by David Tennant who deserves all the awards for this. Knocked it out of the park. Daniel Myers and Jason Watkins were wonderful as well. All in all, a very well acted, and sensitive real life drama.

I know - he is a great actor. But this series proofs more. Because he gives a brilliant game of nuances , fascinating, off course, but , more important convincing in the most creepy way. Portrait of a serial killer is the soft definition. But you feel , slice by scene than it is more. A high demonstration of unique science to explore the character in fair and precise manner. In this case, the performance of David Tennant becomes a story itself.

All the side characters and their reactions left me completely flat. The sound supporting the moments were distraction only for me to realize that Daniel Mays and Jason Watkins have only 2 faces - surprised and angry.

Despite not being a fan of David Tennant, he did pretty good job. His delivery was as surprising as the content.

The short form - 3 episodes - certainly benefits the story telling as it would otherwise be dragged for too long to even consider it being interesting. But despite that, it won't make my archive for eventual re-watch.

David Tenant was very creepy and very believable and the. all-around acting was first-class from all the cast

Not in the class of other police procedurals, such as Spiral or Prime Suspect. The chosen approach of cataloguing the aftermath of Nilsen's crimes robs the drama of any tension whatsoever. Tennant seems to just play himself. Certainly no masterclass, as others have said on here. Nothing remotely chilling about his portrayal of Nielsen. Nothing seems to happen in episode 2, so there is a loss of pace, with episode 3, finally attempting to answer the question of why he did his crimes. A triumph of hype over substance. Disappointing.

It's creepy but intense! I really enjoyed it! Everyone who likes thrillers and true stories should give it a try!

Series focus on the protagonist, David tenant does an amazing job however there is no build up no story line the show does not story tell of the murders themselves or Des. It simply focuses on the aftermath of it, could have been better missed a whole lot of meat.

David Tennant plays Des so well, was gripping from the start, great miniseries.

This format of drama - particularly on ITV - either morbidly fixating on real-life serial killers or dour semi fictions are usually chokingly bleak and not at all interesting. So I was rather surprised by this deft three-parter - which had a fascinatingly brisk pace. I wasn't at all familiar with Nilsen's sad crimes and rather than glamourising him or them it takes quite an even-handed approach to the figures involved - essentially acting as much as a look at biographer Brian Masters or the dogged DCI Peter Jay.

The performances are the real draw here - with much being said on Tennant's underplayed and absorbing portrayal of the manipulative Nilsen. His second murderous creep in a year and a mesmerically different take than his deceptive GP in Deadwater Fell. I'm a huge fan of Daniel Mays and he does a typically sharp turn as the starkly determined Jay - and you almost can't get these kind of things made without Jason Watkins showing up and his mannered performance here easily matches up to the big hitters.

I'd say the only snag for me is the name and the marketing. It's Des. Dennis Nilsen is centre stage in the marketing - but within the text of the show you even see Masters deny Nilsen's desire to have the book named after him - and this very much isn't his story as much as it is Jay's push for justice or Masters' clinical drive for objectivity or even those poor lost and lonely men lured to their deaths with the promise of company. So it seems fundamentally wrong to me to name it in such a way, even if Tennant's transformative performance is the central marketing drive it feels morbidly vulgar to essentially grant Nilsen his wish.

Decent set up and acting soon hooked me in, but ep2 began to drag, and then the cliches and occasional poor acting began to become obvious. Picks up a little in ep3, but could have been much more. Overall, its the usual simple ITV formula, and ended up more The Bill than Prime Suspect